Team Purdue’s Suburban INhome Takes 2nd Place in the 2011 Solar Decathlon!

We’re thrilled to announce that this weekend Team Purdue took second place in the 2011 Solar Decathlon! Purdue’s sensible, suburban-style INhome received top marks throughout the competition due to its focus on energy efficiency, mass ‘marketability’, and tried-and-true green building techniques. The team keep Maryland’s competition-winning WaterShed House on its toes throughout the past week as the INHome slipped in and out of first place. In the end the INhome beat out 17 other solar homes from around the world at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and there’s no doubt that their carefully created SIP wall construction and efficient solar-powered cooling system helped them blow the competition out of the water.

In the Solar Decathlon, teams are awarded points in ten categories, with each category worth 100 points. Over the course of the competition, Purdue received high marks in each category, including an impressive 99 points in affordability, 98 in comfort, and 100 in energy balance.

It’s easy to see why InHouse was one of this year’s top three winners. The two-bedroom house is a cute little bungalow with an inviting front porch and a tract home-like façade that doesn’t ruffle feathers with out-of-place curves or extravagant forms. Despite the home’s quaint appearance, it harnesses an impressive set of high-tech systems including a biowall in the middle of the living space that adds greenery to the interior while filtering air to remove harmful chemicals that can accumulate in tightly insulated homes.